DEPARTMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHYHistory and Theory 1

TEACHER: Bobbi Fabian

COURSE NUMBER:DIGI 520

CREDITS3 Credits

COURSE LENGTH : 45 total class hours. Meets 1 time a week for a total of 15 weeks. Students are expected to do homework and course preparation in additional to attending lecture hours.

INSTRUCTOR CONTACT AND OFFICE HOURS:bobbi.fabian@nyfa.eduInstructor office hours are 15 minutes directly after each scheduled class.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:This course is an introduction to major conceptual trends and ideas in the history of photography, from its invention to the present day. Includes technological, artistic, social, cultural and journalistic currents of the medium. This course may also include scheduled time for field trips, gallery viewings and museum visits of an historically relevant nature.

PREREQUISITES:None.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:1. Students will gain an overview and demonstrate an understanding of

photography's historical trajectories, uses, major ideas, and themes.2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of and be able to discuss

technological, artistic, social, cultural and journalistic currents in the history of photography.

3. Students will demonstrate professionalism in presentation of all assignments.

4. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of deadlines.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1) All students are required to attend class. NO EXEPTIONS will be made without a valid excuse. Please refer to the attendance policy in the catalog, which states that students may not miss more than 15% of one course. Arriving more than 8 minutes late will be marked late. More than 15 minutes late will be marked as an absence. Every three lates will be counted as one absence. Chronic absences will lead to disciplinary measures, including academic probation and expulsion.

2) All students will come to class prepared to work. This includes not only the completion of homework assignments but also the bringing of any and all outside materials required for the completion of said assignment.

3) Students may be disallowed entry to the classroom after ten minutes from scheduled start of class.

4) All students will give their fellow students the courtesy of their full attention for the duration of each class.

5) Students will arrive to class on time ready to work and dressed appropriately.

Assignments:

Assignment due dates TBA.

Assignment 1: After an overview of the history of photography, you will be assigned one photographer. Research their biography and work and discuss the question: “What is their contribution to the history of photography?” 1-2 pages

Assignment 2: Write a review of a photography exhibition you have seen this semester. Discuss the work in the context of both world history (if appropriate) and the history of photography. 1 page

Assignment 3: TBA

In-class presentation: You will be allocated the names of 2 photographers. Explain their biographies, reasons for their significance, and inter-relationship. Each presentation will last 10-15 minutes. Produce a small slideshow of 10 images from each photographer to accompany your talk.

GRADING PROCEDURES:Students will be graded on:

Class participation: 20%Assignments: 15%In-class presentation: 25%Final exam: 40%

For attendance requirements and how that affects grading, please refer to the student handbook. 

COURSE OUTLINE:

N.B. the photographers listed below are just a small sample of the photographers that will be discussed in each genre.

WEEK 1A preview of the syllabus followed by an overview of the history of photography and visual communication in the 19th through 21st centuries.

WEEK 2 Urban LifeHistorical: Atget, Daugerre, Steiglitz, Steichen, Brassai, Hine, Riis, Sander, Cartier-Bresson, Frank, Prokudin-Gorskii, Weegee, Evans (Walker).Contemporary: Struth, Meyerowitz, DiCorcia, Erwitt.

WEEK 3Reportage/Journalism/Social DocumentaryHistorical: selection of famous news photographs, Evans (Walker), Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson, Arbus, Levitt, the FSA, Parks, Lange, Friedlander, Winogrand, Frank, Eggleston, Shore.Contemporary: McCurry, Carter, McPhee, Soth, Salgado, Clark, Goldin, Barney, Mark, Evans (Terry).

WEEK 4WarView documentary: War Photographer (2001)Historical: Fenton, Brady, Curtis (Indian portraits), Lange, Capa, Magnum Agency, Burrows, Gardner, Smith.Contemporary: Meiselas, Nachtwey, Hetherington, Webb.

WEEK 5 and 6Portraiture View documentary: What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (2006)Historical: Nadar, Karsh, Cunningham, Avedon, Hurrell and the Hollywood

portraitists, Sander, Newman, Prokudin-Gorskii.Contemporary: Renaldi, Roy, Leibovitz, Mark, Lacombe, van Meene, Soth.

WEEK 7LandscapeHistorical: Adams (Ansel), Adams, (Robert), Bechers, Weston, Sternfeld, Shore.Contemporary: Le (An-My), Leong, Misrach, Gursky, Struth, McPhee, Burtinsky, Gowin, Sugimoto, Eggleston, Kenna.

WEEK 8Review of timeline of the history of photography in relation to world events and visual art. Discussion of camera formats, the evolution of various processes and less commonly associated uses of the medium (such as stereo photography).

WEEKS 9 and 10Commercial/Fashion Historical: Steichen, Bellmer, Penn, Outerbridge, Bailey.Contemporary: Moon, Watson, Liebovitz, Seliger, Ockenfels, Platon, McGinley, Demarchelier, Lachapelle, Meisel, Baron.

WEEK 11Still-Life/Objects Historical: Weston, Cunningham, Day, Steiglitz, Groover, Blossfeld.Contemporary: Tardio, Watson, Grand, Rosa, Williams, Letinsky.

WEEK 12The 19th Century Now that we’ve looked at the most common genres, we will discuss photography in the socio-historical and technological context of the 19th century.Niepce, Daguerre, Muybridge, Cameron, Carroll, Talbot, Eastman, Steichen.

WEEK 13The 20th CenturyWe will talk in depth about the advent of the 35mm camera and its impact on photography and popular culture. We will also discuss other socio-historical and technological factors relevant to the 20th century.Steiglitz, Weston, Abbott, Sander, Cartier-Bresson, Kertesz, Winogrand, Eggleston, Davidson, Friedlander.

WEEK 14In-class presentations.Summary and review of the semester.

WEEK 15Final exam